Batman’s 75th Anniversary

That’s right, folks. Batman made his first appearance in Detective Comics #27, 75 years ago today. I know, I know … the cover says May. According to DC Comics, the date this issue actually hit the newsstands was March 30th.

Being a site called “Batfan”, I really couldn’t let this date pass without posting about it. I’ve been nuts about Batman for most of my life. For me, the issue below (Batman #412) is where it all started. It’s not in great shape but, it’s still a treasure in my collection.

Batman is important to me (Note to Affleck: DON’T SCREW THIS UP). I own a plethora of Batman stuff (comics, shirts, toys, cologne, etc). For nearly 10 years, I’ve had the vanity plate “BATFAN” on my car. In every place I’ve worked in my adult life, it’s been a well-known fact that I’m a Batman guy. I saw Batman Begins 5 times in the theaters. At the end of The Dark Knight Rises, while applauding with the rest of the crowd, I was in tears. For reals. To summarize … I FREAKING LOVE BATMAN.

But, why this Batman fascination?

Sure, he’s a badass, we all know that. It goes deeper than that though. The ultimate dream for a comic book fan is that the superheroes he/she loves so much could be real. Given that he has no actual superpowers, Batman is one of the few superheroes that borders on that principle. The thought that with enough determination, skill and training (and MONEY) you could be Batman is pretty incredible. With no mutant/alien/accidental superpowers he’s able to not only run with the “powered” heroes but, also scare the crap out of Gotham’s criminals. To quote Ducard / Ra’s al Ghul,

“… if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can’t stop you, then you become something else entirely.”

DC has a whole list of festivities (see the full list here) planned this year to celebrate this event. Including ‘Batman Day’ on July 23rd. Of course, I’m ahead of the curve here since for me, EVERY DAY is Batman day. Here’s hoping the next 75 years will be as good as the last 75.